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McLemore, Jayhawks brace for Ohio State test

KU frosh dream of beating Buckeyes in front of huge crowd

Ben McLemore

LAWRENCE — Ben McLemore had great seats the past two times Kansas faced Ohio State.

McLemore was on the bench when the Jayhawks beat the Buckeyes last year in Lawrence and in the stands for KU’s Final Four victory in New Orleans. Being on the court is something different, though, especially considering Saturday’s game against the No. 7-ranked Buckeyes will be the first road test of McLemore’s career.

“I haven’t experienced something like this before,” said McLemore, KU's leading scorer at 15.9 points per game. “It’s my first year playing. I’ll just go out there with an aggressive mindset.”

McLemore is a redshirt freshman surrounded by seniors in KU’s starting lineup, meaning most of his teammates know what it’s like to play in a hostile venue. It’s nice to know the Jayhawks can lean on experience, but as the first 10 games have proven, they need to lean on McLemore, too.

“I’m expecting Ben to play great,” coach Bill Self said. “Maybe he’ll help the seniors because he doesn’t know any better.”

The last time No. 9 KU played a game like this was Nov. 13 against Michigan State. McLemore scored 14 points in that one but faded in the second half as the Spartans rallied to win.

McLemore has asserted himself as a scorer since then, but mostly in the cocoon of Allen Fieldhouse. The challenge will be to maintain that mentality on the road, with opposing fans trying to rattle his concentration.

The experience of playing Michigan State, even if it occurred on a neutral court, should benefit KU’s freshmen, center Jeff Withey said.

“When we played Michigan State, I would say they were a little shell-shocked, a little scared,” Withey said. “I’m sure they’re still going to be scared on Saturday, but they have more experience under their belt, and that makes up for a lot.”

Ohio State plays its home games at Value City Arena, where the Buckeyes have won 38 straight nonconference games and 75 of 77 under coach Thad Matta. Self took teams there during his time at Illinois and remembers a raucous atmosphere.

“It’s a professional arena, but it’ll have 20,000 people in there,” Self said. “It’ll be juiced just like our building is. I don’t know if they’re quite as close as our (fans), but they’ve got the students right there behind the bench.”

In hostile environments, Self emphasizes maintaining a tight huddle and blocking out the interference. Many of KU’s players have been through this before, but for this particular team, Saturday will be a new experience.

“We need to be of one accord and have a real tight huddle,” Self said. “It’s our first true road game. Our guys all think that they can handle it, and I’m not saying we can’t. I do feel like it will be different for them.”